Frequently Asked Questions

In depth guidance on Alta Healthcare Services

Choosing the right homecare agency for yourself or a loved some is an important task. We have anticipated some questions you might have and provided answers as it relates to our services. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you need clarification or have further questions.

Home Care

Yes. Our Director of Nursing and our Director of Care meet with each client prior to beginning care. They will assess your specific needs, your residence and your desires in an aide to help you determine the type of help, the amount of help, and the correct person to aide you.

Our aides can assist with the activities of daily living (transferring/ambulation, bathing, grooming, dressing, eating and toileting) as well as a number of additional tasks such as meal preparation, laundry, light housekeeping and accompanying you on errands. Whether you need a little temporary help to recover from a surgery, for example, or need long-term help, we can assist you.

Call us to discuss your situation. In the case of an emergency we can often send an aide to you within hours. Though, typically it’s best to have several days notice so we can schedule assessments with our Directors of Nursing and Care. This allows us to determine the care that’s best for you, and assign an aide that will be a good fit.

We are licensed by the State of Maryland as a Residential Service Agency by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. We are also bonded and insured. Our Director of Nursing and our Director of Care have many years of experience in the field.

We conduct in-person interviews with all aides before hiring them. We also check references and do criminal background checks on all aides. All of our aides are licensed by the state as either Certified Nursing Assistants or Geriatric Nursing Assistants. Each aide also has up-to-date health screenings and CPR certification.

Yes you can. In fact, we encourage your participation in this process. We believe strongly in all aspects of care – physical, emotional and social. We work very hard to make certain that we match our aides with the client’s personalities. We will introduce you to potential caregivers so you can get a better idea of who you will like.

Yes we do! We work in our clients’ private homes, as well as independent living facilities, assisted living facilities, nursing homes and even hospitals. We coordinate our care with the staff of the particular facility to ensure you receive the best care.

You don’t have to worry about a gap in coverage. We will send out a substitute to cover the shift until the aide is better

We pride ourselves on the high level of care we provide our clients. We do our best to pair our clients with aides that are the “best fit” for them. The same aide or aides will work with you regularly. This helps you develop a working relationship and comfort level with them.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program

The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program at ALTA works to assist individuals with severe mental illness to reach a higher level of independence through structured individual and group activities.

The PRP program assists consumers with accessing and coordinating services and resources in their communities and works to ensure that the consumer has access to the best possible treatment.

Adults and Minors (10-17 years of age), living with serious and persistent mental illness with priority population diagnosis (ICD-10 and DSM IV)

ON-SITE : 101 Lakeforest Blvd, Suite 250, Gaithersburg, MD 20877OFF-SITE: Services can be provided off-site at the consumer's discretion. For instance, if a consumer requires skills training in terms of laundry, ALTA HCS staff can meet the consumer at a local laundromat.

The PRP generally runs from 9 am to 2 pm for adults, 3pm to 5pm for minors in terms of individual and group services, though staff are present until 6pm. Some centers may also offer weekend programming.

Maryland Medicaid and/or proof of application

A psychiatric diagnosis that meets the priority population definition as determined by the Mental Health Authority.

Intake assessment with ALTA HCS staff (this may take up to 4 hours)

Ability to attend the PRP from 9-2 at least two days each week

Considerations for the Referral Process:

Clients that have Medical Assistance may start services within a week of receiving the returned referral information.

Clients that have only SSDI and Medicare as their primary are considered uninsured for PRP. Presently uninsured clients have no guarantee of authorization from Beacon Health and therefore may take longer to be approved for services.

A Licensed Mental Health Professional’s signature is required on the referral form.

In order to establish and maintain eligibility for ALTA PRP Services, individuals should remain under the care of a psychiatrist and/or therapist while in the program.

Please Follow the Three - Step Referral Process:

Confirm the client is interested in Psychiatric Rehabilitation Day Program Services.

Complete the one page Referral Form.

Forward the completed Form or Call the Intake Coordinator (pickup available)

Phone: 240-801-9818

Fax: 240-801-9819

We attempt to contact a new referral within 48 hours. Once the referral is contacted, we schedule an intake within 10 days of the initial referral.

Once a completed referral is made, the consumer will be contacted for an initial intake to determine the appropriates of psychiatric rehabilitation services. Once the intake is complete, an initial treatment plan will be completed to the consumer, who will then begin receiving program services.

Aides typically see consumers twice a week, or a minimum of six times a month.

PRP Aides will meet with consumers anywhere from fifteen minutes to two hours, depending on the goal being addressed.

During each visit, the consumer is expected to work towards one or more of the goals set forth in the rehabilitation plan, which is developed at the onset of PRP services.

To address this vulnerability within this population, the following factors were found helpful in reducing need for psychiatric hospitalizations:

Medication Education

Facilitating follow up appointments

Outpatient case management

Holistic Behavioral Care

ALTA HCS has forged relationships with local Doctors, Therapists, Psychiatrists and other health care professionals in an effort to provide holistic care.

Group support

We offer dual diagnosis groups as well as groups with a specific focus, such as support groups for working individuals, groups which address the needs of older consumers, and men's and women's groups.

Breakfast & lunch

Our PRP serves breakfast and lunch at no cost to the consumer at the site.

Crisis Intervention

Services occur as needed. There are on-call clinicians available to ALTA HCS consumers by phone

Entitlement Services

You may be eligible for government assistance.

ALTA HCS takes an active part in advocacy, and in completing applications for and maintenance of all entitlements.

What Do I Bring To The Intake?

Social security card, Identification Card and/or Birth Certificate

Maryland Medicaid Card and any other insurance cards, including Medicare

Name, Address and Phone Number of current or former Therapist, Psychiatrist and Medical Doctor

Inability to maintain consistent employment because of psychiatric symptoms

Social behavior that results in interventions by the mental health system

Inability, due to cognitive disorganization, to function in the community

Severe inability to establish or maintain a personal support system

Need for assistance with basic living skills

Self Care Training

personal hygiene

nutrition

planning and cooking meals

managing medications

general health care promotion

personal safety

Social Skills Training

interpersonal skills

communication

socialization

recreation

Independent Living And Community Living Skills Training

maintaining housing

utilizing community resources

transportation and mobility training

personal finance and budgeting

Illness Management Skills Training

understand and deal with mental illness as a disease

deal with symptoms and each person’s unique challenges of daily living

medication education

how to recover your sense of self and your life in spite of having an illness

Why Choose Us

Ways we are different

We are proponents of Continuity of Care. It is important for our memory-care clients to have a regular caregiver—we know that new faces and unfamiliarity with the client’s routine are not conducive to a positive care environment. The client and caregiver develop a crucial working relationship, trust and imperative comfort level.

We typically invite our new clients and their families to interview several different caregivers that we feel would be a good fit and then make their own decision.